There is a continuing need to reduce weight of automotive vehicle components in order to reduce fuel consumption of passenger and commercial vehicles. Some vehicle components may have one portion that could be formed of a relatively light weight material and another portion that requires a stronger but heavier material. An example of such components include vehicle closure panels such as an inner or outer door panel, deck lid panel, tailgate panel, hood panel, or quarter panel. A major portion of the panel might be formed of a light weight reinforced polymer composition or a low density metal such as an aluminum alloy or a magnesium alloy. And contiguous edge portions of the panel, where hinges or latching mechanisms are attached, could be made of a stronger material such as a steel alloy. However, the manufacture of such mixed material panels have required complex and expensive processing.
This disclosure provides a spray casting based practice for the manufacture of mixed-material vehicle closure panels.